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D.C. notary office tests low‑cost remote notarization tool and says processing times have improved
Summary
The Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications is piloting an internal remote‑notary system built with OCTO and existing tools and reports cutting notary application processing from 8–12 weeks to under three weeks while targeting Q3 FY26 for rollout.
Greer Hill, director of the Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications (ONCA), told the committee the office has reduced application processing times and is testing a low‑cost remote‑notary application using in‑house resources.
ONCA has “reduced average application processing times from 8 to 12 weeks to fewer than 3 weeks in most cases,” Hill said in testimony. The office has researched national remote‑notary approaches and chose a solution that leverages existing OCTO infrastructure, SharePoint, PowerApps and Box to avoid expensive contractor platforms. The office is conducting tests and expects a Q3 FY26 availability target for remote notary services.
Hill also outlined mail‑in authentication procedures for documents that require original signatures — those services will remain primarily mail‑based because original documents are required for certain international authentications — but the office is piloting electronic intake forms to speed processing. The committee asked for updated revenue and volume trend reports; ONCA said revenues previously dipped during a move and leadership transition but that process improvements now enable weekly tracking of collections.
